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It's certainly probable that the ideal world Rika just came back from, might have been a direct consequence of Bern interfering with loli 34 (I even theorized it so 2 episodes ago), but I'm personally more inclined to think Hanyuu wouldn't lie about that (even if Rika had to kill her own mother for coming back and Hanyuu wants to protect her conscience).

Spoiler:

Hanyuu would have been lying either way. Don't forget she told Rika that her head had been run over by the truck and she had died. If you assume that it was all a dream, then she would have been lying to Rika at that point.

Quote:

Originally Posted by zetsumei

Thanks Eryops, hmm, did Ni and Kai explains some of this is the anime...? If they did I completely don't recall anything. Given that it been a really long time since I watched both series and don't remember much of anything anymore...if they did explained it, I'd definitely have to go back and marathon both Ni and Kai.

Are you referring to the information in this post? I mostly got it from the VNs.

I'd say that there are two Rikas/Berns after Rika decides to stop moving between worlds, as Bern diverges at that point, however what makes you think that the Bern from Umineko is different? I haven't seen any evidence pointing to that, so I think it's simpler to assume that they're the same being.

It seems we are talking of the same thing except I added 1 extra Rika.
The one I see "stopping" moving between world is the one I call Frederica Bernkastel.
Furude Rika is the original Rika who is present in each world before being "overwritten" by Frederica.

Then we have the last one who emerged from all of this (and who is also narrating the Kakera scenes in the VN), who is Bernkastel, that entity which is the on present in Umineko, unless proved otherwise.

Simply put, the "higher bernkastel" left in the Kakera world "central" point is the third layer.

Sniffle* So this is the end of the main story line? What a great way to end it. Some crazy philosophical stuff that doesn't end up being too pretentious. It ran very close to "moral of the day" but it did manage to avoid that.

Episode 3 left with one of the most difficult decisions in the series. Is it really ok to be selfish and go back to the world you wanted for at the cost of others? As Rika makes her decison, she begins to realize that Hanyuu was always there to help make her decisons. But this one, she must take responsibility, and take the risk of commuting a sin. Indeed, since Rika has spent the series as the innocent one, this totally flips the series over, as this entire arc already has.

But it is the hard choices that make the person and we are all the sum of our experiences, even if we don't want to be. It's just not a good idea to be constantly pursuing what-ifs constantly. Only with this realization, only can they truly move on with their lives and this is truly the end of Higurashi.

Spoiler:

I was kinda worried about the dream thing, but it does seem ambiguous and I can't tell if Hanyuu is protecting Rika from that guilt. Interestingly, we never see Rika killing her mother. That may forever remain a mystery. And ultimately, it no longer matters.

Did they ever show Rika struggling with the decision she had to make between the two worlds? Or are we to take Rena's explanations to be the similar to the thought process that Rika went through (meaning she decided to stop being a witch and kill her mother, dream or otherwise).

And one more regarding Matsuribayashi-hen

Spoiler for Epilogue?:

Wasn't Saikoroshi-hen supposed to be a continuation of Matsuribayahshi-hen? So why did everyone say that Satoshi was still far away, when they found him underneath the clinic? Unless the anime got that one wrong as well.

If I remember correctly, in the final episode(s) of kai, Shion covered Satoko's ears and explained that Satoshi was still alive, but that Satoko wouldn't be able to handle the news due to Satoshi still being comatose.

In short, I think they are saying Satoshi is still "away from home" in order to protect Satoko's state of mind.

After following Higurashi for more than 2 years, I'm glad it all ends this way.
Though it's a little sad, the next episode will be the last for Higurashi. Time to move on to Umineko I guess.... - but I will never forget the wonderful times I had following the story of Rika and her friends!

Honestly, I think the twin-switch explanation was just cut for time and to simplify things a bit. Hell, even in the games, isn't the switch only mentioned in a "tip" at the end of their arc? (I'm not completely sure about this though, mind you.)

Honestly, I think the twin-switch explanation was just cut for time and to simplify things a bit. Hell, even in the games, isn't the switch only mentioned in a "tip" at the end of their arc? (I'm not completely sure about this though, mind you.)

The switch is implied in the anime. When Shion is torturing Satoko, their roles revert to back to their original ones. Mion speaks like Shion and calls Shion "onee-sama", while Shion speaks like Mion despite the fact that there's nobody there that might overhear them.

In the VN, the switch is mostly explained by Mion's diary, so the fact they cut that part out is understandable. If they simply revealed it at the end of Meakashi-hen, it would have seemed too sudden.

Sniff... I thought that was rather beautiful, especially the parts about killing Rika's mother. Well, day break will be fun.

Agreed, especially since

Spoiler for Preview:

it looks like we get to see Oyashiro-mode Rena once again.

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